Dennis Allen has no comment on Saints’ bounty program

New Raiders head coach Dennis Allen had “no comment,” a Raiders spokesman said, about the NFL report today that the New Orleans Saints issued $1,000 and $1,500 bounties on opposing players’ heads. Allen was the secondary coach for the Saints from 2007-2010, and the NFL said the Saints broke the rules and issued the bounties from 2009-2011.

Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the Rams, quickly apologized for his role in the bounty program. He was implicated in the report, as well as owner Tom Benson, general manager Mickey Loomis, coach Sean Payton and 27 players.

New Orleans players put money into into the program and were paid in cash after the game — $1,000 for causing a player to be carted off the field and $1,500 for knocking a player out of the game. (It doesn’t sound like much, but the fact that it came in cold, hard cash from other players, complete with bragging rights, increased the value exponentially.)

“It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it,” Williams said. “Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again.”

The players I talked to today were not surprised by the report nor did they want to comment on it. Former 49ers safety Ronnie Lott told the Los Angeles Times such bounties were “commonplace.”

While the players involved in the bounty program will get fined, I suspect that commissioner Roger Goodell will have to take a draft pick or two away from the Saints if he really wants to send a message to the rest of the league.